Rain
by Briar Roze
Summary: Zexion meets a cheery Starbucks employee and his life is forever changed.
1. Chapter 1 : Coffee and Rain

Hi there! Thanks for clicking on my story! This is my first time publishing on fanfiction so hopefully everything will go smoothly. Anywhoo, I do not own any of these characters. Enjoy!

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><p>Zexion knew it was going to be a bad day when the man on the radio said there was going to be a 60% chance of thunderstorms. Grumbling under his breath, the short, slate-haired, seventeen year old pushed open the doors to Starbucks for his before school coffee.<p>

"Hiya!" greeted a cheerful voice. "What can I get ya?"

Zexion stared at the owner of the voice. This person was definably not the normal counter person. This person was a man, maybe a couple years older then himself. His dirty blond hair was styled in a cross between a mohawk and a mullet, a few strands hinging in his face. His ocean colored eyes were locked on Zexion, his smile genuine. Zexion's purple grey eyes narrowed slightly, as the blond's scent drifted into his nose. Rain. He smelt like rain.

"Where's the normal person?" Zexion asked, trying not to run away.

"Larxene? She called in sick, so I'm covering for her. I'm Demyx. What's you name?" the man behind the counter asked.

"I'll take a tall, non-fat latte." Zexion said, ignoring Demyx's question entirely.

"Alright Mr. No Name. One tall, non-fat latte coming up." Demyx said, disappearing behind a fancy coffee machine.

Zexion hadn't realized that he was holding his breath until he exhaled. The teenager scowled at himself. It was childish to be afraid of the rain. And it was just idiotic to hold one's breath just because a guy at Starbucks smells like the falling precipitation.

"Here's your latte, Mr. No Name." Demyx had come back, a cup of steaming coffee in his hand.

"Thank you." Zexion said stiffly and reached for his wallet.

"No charge. It's on the house." the ocean eyed man winked at him. Zexion, in return, felt his face flush. He snatched the latte for the Starbucks' employee and quickly made his way out to his car. Not once did he notice the blond giving him a cheery wave goodbye.

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><p>So that's the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Reveiws and comments are the milk to my oreos!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2 : Seeing Redd

Welcome back! Thank you for continuing on with my story! ^^ Enjoy!

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><p>Once in the safety of his car, Zexion took a couple of deep breaths. "Calm down, Zexion." He murmured to himself. It's going to be alright…"<p>

The seventeen year old chanced a look over his shoulder. He could just barely make out the mulleted man now chatting to a group of giggling girls. A an unfamiliar feeling welled up inside his chest. Was he… Jealous? No! That was impossible. It was just the announcement of rain over the radio that was making him feel like this. It had absolutely nothing to do with the cheery Starbuck's employee. Shaking his head, he put his car in reverse and drove off to school, latte forgotten in the cupholder.

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><p>"Thanks Namine." He said to the student librarian as she handed him his books.<p>

"You're welcome." The short blonde girl gave him a small smile before returning to her drawing pad.

Zexion sat down at one of the unoccupied tables and set the books down. He rummaged through his bag till he found the folder that had the beginnings of his history essay on the Holocaust. Opening the newly checked out book, he started reading, trying not to look at the pictures.

"Zexion… Zexion…" Someone whispered in his ear.

"What do you need Roaxas?" He asked without looking up from his work as he started writing.

Roxas was Zexion's best friend since grade school. Said best friend was about 5 ft 1, the same height was Zexion, give or take a few centimeters. His platinum blonde hair was naturally spikey and had the largest blue eyes Zexion had ever seen. It was a well-known fact that Roxas had the lowest grade in History. "Could you help me? I have no idea where to begin!" He said in a panicked whisper.

"Just think of it was an English essay you have to write on a book you just read." Zexion whispered back.

The blonde nodded and started writing. Roxas looked back at Zexion and poked him with the end of his pencil. "I want you to come meet him."

There it was. The real purpose of getting Zexion's attention. He groaned on the inside. _Him_ was Axel Redd, the person Roxas had been crushing on for the past few months. Though the blond talked about him non-stop, Zexion had never actually seen Axel.

He made the mistake of looking Roxas in the eyes. The short boy was giving him his best puppy dog look, his blue eyes wide and lower lip trembling. Zexion mentally kicked himself for being so stupid and sighed. "Fine. Let's go. But after the bell rings, 'kay?"

Roxas nodded and could barely keep still for the rest of the period. As soon as the bell rang, he grabbed Zexion's sleeve and dragged him out of the library. Zexion stumbled a couple of times.

"Roxas! Stop! Let go!" He protested, tripping on his own feet and nearly falling.

Roxas stopped abruptly and Zexion bumped into him. Roxas put a finger to his lips, signaling Zexion to stay quiet. They both peeked around the corner.

A large group of seven or so people stood over on one side of the hall laughing and chatting with each other. They were an odd asortment of people with hair ranging from the normal colors hair should be to the more exotic colors of the rainbow.

"Which one is he?" Zexion hissed in Roxas's ear.

"The one with really spikey red hair and the acid green eyes…" Roxas sighed longingly.

Zexion refrained from rolling his eyes and immediately spotted Axel Redd. He was tall, at least 6 ft 5, and had spikey hair as red as a fire truck. Under his acidic green eyes were two black upside down triangles. "You've found quite the looker." Zexion said. "Have you talked to him yet?"

Roxas gave another sigh and slid down the wall to the floor. "No… He's straight…"

"Bummer Rox…" Zexion sat down beside him, using Roxas nickname he had given him back when they had first met.

"Yeah…" They sat in silence till the bell rang.

"See you after school." Zexion said as he stood and hurried off down the hallway.

"Catch ya later!" Roxas called after him, taking on last glance at the retreating back of the man he had fallen head over heels for.

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><p>I'm still not quite happy with the ending, but oh well! Reviews and comments are the colors to my rainbow!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3 : You Again

A sigh escaped a slate haired student sitting in the corner of the classroom, as he waited for the rest of his classmates to finish an algebra test. Zexion had already finished the essay he was working on last period and now had nothing to do but sit and wait.

As minutes seemed to turn to hours, his thoughts began to wander to Demyx, the cheery Starbucks employee. What was that feeling he had felt in the car? It was not in Zexion's nature to lie to himself, but he wanted desperately to believe that is had been the rain. Still... Not matter how Zexion tried to think about it, Demyx was pretty handsome, his body lean and fit, his mesmerizing eyes... Zexion shook his head. _No! You are not gay! _He scolded himself. Roxas was definitely rubbing off on him.

Roxas had told Zexion that he as gay a couple years ago while they were freshmen, right after he and Namine, the student librarian, had broken up. After that, he had been in a fairly long relationship with a boy named Hayner. However, that had turned out awful. Hayner dumped Roxas all of the sudden and gave no reason for his actions. The normally happy blond went into serious depression, cutting his wrists, drinking, the whole she-bang. It had taken everything within Zexion's power to get him back into the sunlight. After months of depression, Roxas had finally gotten back to normal. Then he saw Axel Redd and had fallen head over heels for him. Zexion shook his head. And this was why he didn't get caught up in relationships. Or so he thought, as his thoughts wandered back to Demyx.

The bell rang, jerking Zexion out of his thoughts. He pulled on his book bag and headed out to the parking lot where his car waited for him.

On the way there, Zexion heard the sound of a piano being played. The song instantly captivated him, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. He stood there for a moment and just listened, his mouth opened slightly in astonishment, as the notes painted a picture in his mind. He turned around and went off in search of the source, following his ears until he came upon the music room where the choir practiced. He pushed open the door, only to see a familiar mulleted man playing the piano*. His eyes were closed as his long fingered hands moved gracefully across the keys, a small, serene smile resting on his lips.

Zexion quietly stepped into the room, closing the door with a small click.

Demyx's ocean blue eyes flew open. He yelped and tried to scurry away from the piano, only to trip over the bench and fall flat on his back, hitting his head against the floor.

Zexion's eyes widened and he scrambled towards the piano playing mullet man. "Are you alright?" He asked, trying to conceal the worry in his voice.

Demyx stared up at him and began to laugh, rubbing his head. "Yeah I'm fine Mr. No Name. I just thought you were someone coming to scold me for slacking off again." He grinned and sat up.

Zexion twitched at being called Mr. No Name. Demyx clearly had remembered what had happened this morning. "What are you doing here?" Zexion crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. The slate-haired boy refused to let inappropriate thoughts into his head. He was not gay, damn it!

"I'm the new assistant music teacher." He said from his seat on the ground. "The people at college told me I needed some real life experience and sent me here."

"How old are you anyway?" Zexion asked, suddenly curious. He only looked to be seventeen of eighteen. He couldn't be college age.

"Ummm..." Demyx looked up at the ceiling, then down at the floor, then back to Zexion. "Nineteen. I'll be twenty in December. "

"Huh. I would have thought you were younger…" Zexion mused.

"Thanks for the compliment." Demyx laughed, grinning up at Zexion.

The corner's a Zexion's lips twitched. It was hard to keep his emotions in check with Demyx around.

"Zexion." The seventeen year old said abruptly.

"Huh?" A confused look replaced the grin on the dirty blond's face.

"My name is Zexion."

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><p>The song Demyx was playing is "Kiss the Rain" by Yiruma. If you haven't heard it, go look it up on youtube! It is one amazing piece of music. Don't forget to review and comment!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4 : Ice Cream

I am soooo sorry! I'm back after God knows how long... I hope those of you added this to your watch thingy ma jigger haven't given up on me yet! I had a list of you guys to thank but I losted it... _ _||| So I present you with a cookie and the next three chapters of Rain!

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><p>Zexion walked out towards the school parking lot in a daze. After having spent the last hour talking with Demyx, the mulleted musician gave him his number and left saying he had to meet someone.<p>

The teenager pulled out his phone and flipped it open, just to make sure what had happened was in fact real. He clicked through his contact list and sure enough, these was Demyx's name with a little smiley face next to it.

"It's okay Zexion. You're not gay and you have no attraction to Demyx what so ever." Zexion told himself, taking a couple of calming breaths and putting his phone back in his pocket.

"Where the hell have you been?" Roxas appeared in front of his path. His winter sky blue eyes were bright with fury. The blonde's hands were on his hips, a stance he often took when he was a bout to yell at Zexion.

"In the music room, talking to the new student teacher." Zexion said calmly, unlocking his car.

"Do you have any idea how- wait, you _talked_ to someone?" Roxas's jaw fell open.

"Yes, I did. Are you getting in or what?" Zexion asked as he slid into the driver's seat.

The spiky-haired blonde stood there a moment or two more, gaping at Zexion. Then he hurried to the other side and got into the passenger seat. "You're telling me," he began, "that you had a _conversation_ with a human being, and you didn't get bored?"

"Yep." Zexion said, popping the 'p' as he pulled out of the parking lot. He kepy a nervous eye on the sky, which was becoming darker and darker. "I have his number too."

Roxas stared at him for a moment more. "His… Number..?" he repeated. Then he pointed a finger at Zexion. "Ho, shit! When did you come out of the closet and why wasn't I informed?"

"I'm not gay! He's just… Interesting." Zexion defended himself.

"You are too! At least for whoever this new student teacher is. You never call anyone interesting!" Roxas, said bouncing up and down in his seat. "Zexion is gay, Zexion is gay!" He added in a sing song voice just to irritate the slate-haired teen.

"If I buy you ice-cream, will you shut up?" Zexion growled, gritting his teeth.

Roxas though a moment, tapping his chin as he did so. "Hmm… Make it a double scoop of sea salt ice-cream and you've got a deal!"

"Done. Now can we please talk about something else?" The seventeen year old pleaded.

"Sure… I, uh, almost talked to Axel after school…" Roxas said, squirming in his seat a little.

"Almost?"

"Well, I was sitting next to the car when he spotted me… He started walking towards me when I made a run for it…" Roxas stared down at his hands.

"Why'd you run?" Zexion asked.

"Well, I guess I got…" The blonde trailed off.

Zexion nodded in silent understanding. Hayner had hurt Roxas pretty bad, emotionally. Zexion would have been shocked if Roxas wasn't afraid of getting into another relationship.

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><p>"Wait for me ice-cream, I'm coming!" Roxas said as he jumped out of the car.<p>

As Roxas ran into the ice-cream shop, Zexion allowed a small smile to make itself known. After talking about Axel, the two friends had not spoken for the rest of the car ride. It was always during those silences that he wished he had the ability to read Roxas's mind. It pained him to see the normally happy blonde distraught.

It was only his quick reflexes that made the smile disappear as Roxas poked his head out the front doors. "Hurry up Zexion!" He called out to him.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Zexion replied in mock annoyance. He walked up to the doors, then turned to look up at the sky. Clouds were gathering and darkening the sky. A shiver rolled its way down Zexion's spine as he stepped into the little shop.

It wasn't terribly crowded, thank god, when he and Roxas went up to order their ice-cream. Roxas got his promised double scoop sea salt ice-cream and Zexion ordered a single scoop of vanilla in a cup. They sat down in their usual booth, the one closest to the old-timey juke box.

"Why did you let me get this?" Roxas demanded as he tried to lick the ice-cream off his fingers. "It's melting faster then I can eat it!"

Zexion merely chuckled and said nothing.

"Looks like you've got quite an issue there." A rather familiar red head came over to their table. "Need some help?" Axel Redd grinned flirtatiously at Roxas.

Roxas turned nearly as red as Axel's fire truck red hair.

"Axel, don't tease the poor child." A pink haired man with a strangely feminine voice stood behind him, texting on his iPhone.

"Who said I'm teasing?" Axel retorted. "Scootch over." He told Roxas, who was to embarrassed to resist, as he sat down. "I'm Axel. Axel Redd."

_Yes, I know who you are…_ Zexion thought as he said aloud, "Zexion. Zexion Munni. And this is Roxas Hikari."

"I'm Marluxia Green." The pink haired man looked up from his phone to give Zexion a blindingly white smile. He pulled up a chair and sat.

Axel proceeded to help Roxas with his melting ice-cream. The blonde sent Zexion a look that said _Help me!_ and _Oh god, there's a red-haired sex god sitting next to me and eating my ice-cream!_

"So this must be the person you ran off to go look for." Axel said, pausing to look at Roxas.

If it was possible, the blonde blushed even redder. "Y-Yeah…"

Demyx bounded up to their table, planted his feet on the ground and placed his fists on his hips. Looking off in the distance he cried "Have no fear! Mullet Man is oh there are other people here…" He trailed off, looking at Roxas and Zexion, the latter nearly choking on his ice-cream.


	5. Chapter 5 : Ice Cream  Roxas's Side

"Dem, it's about time you got here!" Axel said, laughing. Roxas just stared at the strange dirty blonde man,

"Hullo Demyx." Marluxia said, not stopping his texting.

"I didn't know you two knew each other…" Demyx said, pointing at Axel and Zexion.

"We don't." They said in unison.

"The only reason, er two reasons, I'm over here is to help Blondie here with his ice-cream and to see if he is available to go bowling this Sunday." Axel turned and grinned at Roxas, who blushed like mad.

"Ha ha!" Marluxia said, triumphantly. "See you later darlings! I've got a date with Vexen!"

"Vexen?" Zexion asked. "The chemistry teacher?"

As Marluxia and Zexion began talking, Roxas excused himself to the bathroom and slid out of the boot (over Axel's lap). He needed time to think. Was Axel teasing him, like Marluxia said? He was straight, right? Once in the bathroom, Roxas washed the sticky from his hands, then looked at himself in the mirror. He wasn't the most handsome guy to look at. Yeah, he was told he was good looking but… The blonde shook his head. This was what he had dreamed about for weeks on end, but now that Axel was actually asking him out, he wasn't sure of what to do.

Turning away from the mirror, Roxas left, passing by Marluxia, who was skipping out humming "We Found Love." As Roxas approached the booth, he saw that Demyx had sat down next to Zexion, who looked to be hiding a smile. Roxas smirked. Zexion was so gay. Then he put his determined face back on as he saw Axel. The red head looked bored, but when he caught site of Roxas, he smiled and said "And out of no where comes the sunshine!"

Demyx giggled and Zexion covered his growing smile with a hand. Roxas hoped to god he wasn't blushing as he frowned and said, "We need to talk." The blonde crossed his arms.

Axel's smile faded slightly then came back. "Sure, okay.: He stood and followed Roxas as the blonde walked off towards a deserted corner of the ice-cream shop.

"What makes you think I'll say yes?" Roxas demanded, once they were out of the ear shot of Demyx and Zexion.

"Um, you've been watching me for weeks. Why would you say no?" Axel's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Shit, he had noticed. "Because if you're just teasing me, I don't want to get my hopes up." Roxas said.

"Why would I tease you? What would I gain from that?" Axel asked. Winter sky blue eyed blonde had no answer for this. "Y'know, playing hard to get really doesn't suit you."

"I'm not playing hard to get!" Roxas voice raised as he stamped his foot. "I'm trying to figure out whether or not I can trust you! Yes, you are extremely good looking and God yes, I would love to say yes, but I don't want to get hurt!" Roxas's temper flared as all his feeling burst out at once.

"I would never hurt you!" Axel snarled in defense. How dare he suggest Axel would do something like that! Roxas's wasn't the only one who followed the person he had a crush on. Axel had been secretly watching Roxas ever since he had gone out with that douche bag Hayner. "I tried to talk to you after school today but you ran off! I would have asked you out earlier, but I didn't know you rolled that way 'til after I found out you were dating Hayner!"

Roxas flinched at the name, then put his game face back on. "Why didn't you ask me after h-he broke up with me?" Roxas's voice faltered at the mentioning of _him._

"Because you needed time to heal." Axel took a step closer to Roxas. "I may be a bit of an ass, but I wasn't about to force my feelings on you so soon. Would you have said yes if I had asked you out right after you two broke up?"

Roxas bit his lip and gave a small shake of his head. "No…"

"I'll wait it you want to say no. But I don't know if can stop myself…" Axel took another step and the distance between them almost disappeared.

"Stop yourself from doing… What?" Roxas stared warily at Axel.

"This." The red head closed the distance between them and lightly brushed his lips up against Roxas's.

The blond blinked a couple of times after Axel pulled away. "S-so Sunday?" He managed to stutter out.

"Deal." Axel smiled and leaned in for another kiss.


	6. Chapter 6 : Ice Cream  Zexion's Side

"Vexen? The chem teacher?" Zexion's eyes widened in shock, his jaw nearly dropping off his face.

Roxas mumbled something about the bathroom and left.

"Yep!" Marluxia stood and flounced his pink hair. "He promised me we'd go on a date as an actual couple, not just as 'study buddies'" Marluxia air quoted, "if I aced my nine-weeks test."

"B-But he's a teacher!" Zexion protested as Axel nad Demyx got into a heated debate over who would be paying, as if Marluxia going on a date with Vexen was an everyday occurrence.

"And that, my small emo," Marluxia said as he tousled Zexion's hair, "is what makes it so exciting! Ciao ciao all!" With that he pranced off.

"I'm not an emo…" Zexion grumbled as he attempted to fix his hair.

Demyx cast a side-glance at Axel, who gave a little nod. The mulleted musician sat next to a rather disgruntled Zexion. "So…" Demyx said, unable to think of something to say.

"How do you two know each other?" Zexion asked, his hair now lying down the way he wanted it.

"We went to high school together 'til this one graduated." Axel said, pointing his thumbe at Demyx.

"You could have graduated with me if you hadn't failed junior year!" Demyx laughed.

"So you're a delinquent?" Zexion raised an eyebrow at Axel.

"What? Hell no! I had… Issues that year." Axel said with a barest glance at Demyx, almost imperceptible to the human eye. Almost. But not quite.

Zexion was about to delve into this new development when Demyx hastily changed the topic. "So, what do you want to do after you get out of high school?"

"I don't know, maybe something to do with books." Zexion shrugged. He despised that question with a burning passion. "What are you studying at college?" Axel lost interest in their conversation and doodled on the table with his finger, sending periodic glances at the bathrooms.

"I'm studying music so I can be a musician, like the whole recording process and stuff!" Zexion noticed that whenever Demyx talked about music, his blue eyes lit up. "But it's hard to get into the record business with out some serious talent, so I might just be a music teacher instead."

Roxas came back from the bathroom, a rather determined look on his face. Axel immediately perked up and grinned. "And out of no where comes the sunshine!"

Demyx giggled and Zexion's hand flew up to his mouth to cover up a growing smile. Roxas frowned and with a stern voice said, "We need to talk."

Axel's grin faltered for a second. "Uh… Okay." The red head stood and followed Roxas as the blonde walked off towards a deserted corner of the little shop.

Zexion chose that moment, of all moments, to notice that the ice-cream shop was completely empty except for them. His entire body grew hot and he scotched just the tiniest bit away from Demyx. After he awkwardly cleared his throat, the slate-haired teen asked, "So, uh, what instruments do you play?"

"I learned how to play the sitar first, from my grandma, but there's not much calling for sitars in the American recording business so I picked up the piano and violin." Demyx said. "How come you always hide your feelings?"

_So we're playing 20 questions…_ Zexion thought. "I don't." This he said aloud.

"Yeah, not the angry ones. But your other emotions, like your sadness and happiness, you hide those. Bet you've got a really nice smile!" Demyx grinned.

Zexion felt himself blush. _No damnit! You are not GAY!_ He was blissfully distracted when he heard Roxas's voice raise. The blonde was normally good-natured, but when he got mad, you had better steer clear.

"I'm sure they'll be fine. Axel's been crushing on Roxas since I broke up with him." Demyx said.

"You two had a thing?" Zexion asked. This must have been the 'issue' Axel had mentioned earlier.

Demyx rubbed the back of his neck, like he was embarrassed. "Uh-huh. We started going out freshmen year. Problems arose and it… It just wasn't working out between us, so I broke up with him. That was junior year, but I think it was for the better." Demyx glanced at Axel. "We became friends again after he got his act together."

"Do you miss it?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you miss being with him like that?"

Demyx's eyebrows furrowed as he thought. Shifting his gaze from Zexion to Axel, he said, "Yeah. I do sometimes. But like I said, it was probably for the best. We're better off as friends anyway. Besides," Demyx's eyes dropped to the table. "He doesn't miss me that much anyway." Zexion saw a glimmer of sadness in the blonde's eyes and he wondered what other emotions he kept hidden from public eyes. Zexion wanted to say something, but had no idea how to handle a situation like this.

Apparently, Roxas had said whatever it was he needed to say, for the two teenagers came back, Axel's arm draped across Roxas's shoulders. Out of the corner of his eye, Zexion saw Demyx's throat tighten as he swallowed. "Awww, look at the happy couple!" He teased.

Axel rolled his acid green eyes and planted a tender kiss on Roxas's temple.

The blonde smiled, the happiest Zexion had seen him in a long time. Right then and there, he swore to himself that if Axel ever broke the blonde's heart, he would kill him. Roxas's winter blue eyes darted towards the window then back at Zexion, suddenly full of urgency. "Zexion! Don't you think we should go? It's getting dark and I don't want my mom to worry about me!" Roxas said, plastering a huge smile on his face.

_God, you suck at acting…_ Zexion had time to think, before panic kicked in. Roxas was the only other person alive who knew about his fear of rain. He flashed Roxas a look of gratitude and said, "Yeah, we should go."

"Hey, I'll drive you home." Axel offered, looking hopeful.

"As much as I would love to say yes, my dad would probably shoot you." Roxas said as Zexion clambered out of the booth. If it rained while he was driving… Maybe Roxas should go home with Axel… As he was about to say so Roxas appeared by his side. "C'mon Zexion."

Zexion made a mental note to but Roxas a galleon of Sea Salt ice-cream when the storm had passed. The slate-haired teen said his goodbyes to Demyx, who looked slightly crest-fallen, and Axel then left the parlor.

The second he stepped outside, the smell of rain hit him like a punch to the gut. He was hyperaware of the rain droplets falling on his bare skin as he fumbled around in his pockets for his keys. Finally, he found them and hurriedly unlocked his car. His hands were shaking so bad it took him several attempts to accomplish this simple task. Roxas gently to the keys from Zexion. "I'll drive, 'kay?"

Zexion nodded and clambered into the back seat. He curled into a small ball trying to rein in his panic, with little success. As Roxas was sliding into the driver's seat, Demyx came running out of the ice-cream shop, waving a CD case around in the air. "Hey, this is for you, you're not Zexion." Demyx's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why is he in the back? Is he okay?"

Roxas bit his lip. "Not really. It's kind of a long story…"

"Oh, well I've got time…"

Roxas thought a moment, then motioned for Demyx to get in the passenger seat. The dirty blonde was more then happy to comply. As soon as he had slid in, Roxas turned the engine on and off they went.


	7. Chapter 7 : The Storm

I have cookies for all of you who gave me comments and reveiws, so here, these are for you -hands them cookies-. I did have a list of everyone's names but I losted it.. So you'll just have to have a collected thank you and a cookies. Enjoy!

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><p>After several minutes of silence Roxas finally broke it. "You really like him don't you…" Demyx's mouth opened then closed, his blue eyes darting to Zexion. "Don't worry. He's to… terrified to pay attention."<p>

"Yeah, well maybe a little." Demyx said. Roxas looked at him. "Okay, maybe a lot. But I don't think he rolls like that. It's so hard to read him. I… I've never really dealt with anyone like him before."

"Zexion's a bit strange yeah, but he does like you. He just doesn't know that yet." Roxas rolled his eyes. "He's a bit impossible that way."

Demyx chuckled a bit. "How do you know?"

"He's always smiling. Or at least Zexion's version of a smile. I've known him since forever and I've never seen him act like that around anyone. Just you." Roxas gave the college student a reassuring smile.

Demyx returned this smile, then looked at Zexion, curled in the fetal position, in the back seat. "So… What's wrong with him?" He asked.

Roxas chewed on his bottom lip, trying to decide if he could tell Demyx. Zexion would probably kill him later, but he decided to trust Demyx and told him. "When we were in second grade, we were playing in the rain. We ended playing out in it for a good couple of hours. We didn't even realize how cold it was becoming. But, a couple days later Zexion caught a cold. It worsened into pneumonia. It got really bad and nearly killed him." Roxas stared out through the window shield. "His heart stopped several times. Only the electric paddles kept him alive."

"What about his parents?" Demyx asked.

Roxas shrugged. "No one knows. He's lived in countless foster homes. Just recently, he started living on his own in his apartment."

The rest of the trip was silent as Demyx pondered this new information. They pulled into a parking lot just as the first drops began to fall from the sky. Almost immediately, the rain began falling harder.

"I can take him inside." Demyx offered.

Roxas looked at Demyx, trying to size him up. Then, he slowly nodded.

After much prodding, pulling, tugging, and pleading Demyx had finally gotten Zexion up to the correct floor and door and coaxed the keys out of him. The rain had really started pouring and they were soaked to the bone.

"So, uh, just go inside, take a hot shower and drink some hot cocoa or something and you should be fine." Demyx nodded, like he was agreeing with himself, and turned on his heels to leave.

One of Zexion's shaking hands reached out and grabbed the tail of Demyx's shirt. Demyx turned. The seventeen year old looked so much like a child, his purple grey eyes large and pleading. "D-Don't leave me alone…" His voice quavered.

The musician's heart fluttered, something that had not happened since Axel, and he nodded.

Together, they stepped into Zexion's apartment. "Go change." Demyx said, gently. "I'll still be here when you get back." Upon impulse, he planted a tender, reassuring kiss on the top of Zexion's dripping head.

Zexion nodded, then staggered off down a hall that must have lead to his bedroom. Demyx took this chance to take in his surroundings. The apartment was a decent size, complete with a small kitchen and a larger living area. It was clean and tidy. A laptop sat on a low coffee table and a couple of dirty dishes sat in the sink. Demyx saw a rather large stereo system and wandered over to it. The CD he had meant to give Zexion was still in his hand. This he set on the stereo. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled and Demyx could hear a loud yelp from Zexion's bedroom.

Demyx half ran, half walked down the hall. Pushing open the door, Demyx called out, "Zexion..?"

A whimper was all that answered him. The dirty blonde musician stepped into the room. It wasn't as tidy as the rest of the house, but it was better then his own dorm. A mattress was placed in one corner and on top of the mattress was a big bundle of blankets. Demyx walked over to it and placed a hand on it. "Zexion?"

Zexion slowly emerged from his cocoon. The rain pounded against the glass, growing harder and harder each minute. Demyx swallowed nervously as he noticed the pale milky chest and prominent collar bone and hoped to god that the high schooler had pants or at least boxers on. A flash of lightning caused Zexion to jump and threw himself at the concerned musician.

Demyx's arms wrapped around the trembling Zexion. He stroked the soft slate-colored hair. Out of habit, he began humming a song.

"W-What's that your humming?" Zexion asked, his voice a little muffled.

"A song my mom used to sing me when I got scared." Demyx hadn't realized that he'd been humming. "D-Do you want me to sing it for you?" The slate-haired teen was quite and still. Then he slowly nodded into the blonde's chest. Demyx took a breath and began to sing. "And some day you'll know that nature is so. The same rain that draws you near me falls on rivers and land, on forests and sand; makes the beautiful world that you'll see in the morning." Zexion's breath slowed, and began to even out as he fell into a deep sleep, away from the pounding of the rain and clash of thunder. A gentle smile graced Demyx's face. He kissed the sleeping Zexion's forehead and took up his singing again.

"Everything's fine in the morning. The rain'll be gone in the morning. But I'll still be here in the morning."

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><p>The song Demyx is singing is "Lullaby for a Stormy Night."<p> 


	8. Chapter 8 : The Morning After

Hey there guys! I'm back! Sorry this chapter took me so long to get up here. Life kind of decided to punch me in the gut and not let me do anything. I was honestly thinking about letting this story just go unfinished. But you all can thank the lovely KuroChaos01 for helping me get over a slight bump in the road. Anywhoo, I'm sorry this chapter is so short. The next one will be longer and uploaded sooner. As always, enjoy!

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><p>Sunlight streamed in through the single window in Zexion's bedbroom, a bright contrast to last night's storm. The slat-haired student groaned and rolled over, snuggling into Demyx's warm embrace.<p>

Wait… WHAT?

Zexion fell off the mattress that served as his bed in an attempt to get away. He stared wide eyed at the sleeping musician, who frowned in his sleep, made a few noises and rolled over. The seventeen year old noticed Demyx had no shirt on and he himself only had on boxers. He began to panic., his mind replaying all the events of last night, hoping to god that he hadn't done something incredibly stupid. Car ride home, big storm, Demyx singing… Zexion let out a sigh of relief. Good, nothing had happened. At least… Nothing bad. Zexion touch the top of his head where Demyx had kissed him, a faint blush coloring his pale cheeks.

On the mattress, Demyx yawned and stretched his tan arms. He sat up, his normally perfectly styled mullet a complete mess. Zexion couldn't help but think that the sleepy musician looked absolutely adorable, rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes. Demyx looked over at Zexion. "'morning." He said with a small wave, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Good morning." Zexion replied, trying to keep a smile from escaping.

"Wha' time is it?" Demyx asked, looking around for a clock.

Zexion shrugged his small shoulders. "I don't know. Probably time to eat." His stomach had a very empty feeling that didn't mix well with the butterflies flying around in it, yet another thing that happened whenever he was around Demyx.

Demyx perked up a bit. "Food?"

"Yeah, I'll, uh, go and make that now." Zexion near about ran out of his room and down the hall, leaving behind a rather bewildered, and extremely confused Demyx.

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><p>Once in the main part of his apartment, Zexion took a couple of calming breaths, trying to get his act back together. His emotionless shell, which had taken him years to build, was slowly being ripped apart by a happy, bubbly, mulleted musician. And Zexion wasn't sure he didn't dislike it. But at the same time… His eyes caught site of what appeared to be a CD sitting on his coffee table. This he picked up. Written on the CD in scrawly handwriting that could only be Demyx's, with Sharpie was <em>Listen to me <em>_J_. Zexion popped it in to his stereo system and pushed the play button. After a few moments, Demyx's voice sang out of the speakers, "Standing there alone, the ship is waiting. All systems are go. Are you sure?"

A smile managed to slip out. This was one of Zexion's favorite songs. He went into the small kitchen and pulled out a medium sized skillet and the carton of eggs. Turning on the burner, he mixed around the eggs with some milk and poured the light yellow mixture into the skillet. Moving the eggs around with a spatula, Zexion began singing along with the CD under his breath. "4, 3, 2, 1. Earth below us, drifting, falling. Floating weightless. Calling, calling home."

The front door clicked shut and in his entryway, stoop a rather triumphant looking Roxas. "I knew it! I so knew it! You are completely head over heels for Demyx!" Roxas near about shouted, dropping his coat on the floor and kicking off his shoes.

Zexion nearly dropped his spatula. "I am not!" He defended himself. Then after a moment of thinking, he looked up at Roxas, his eyes large and round, an emotion that looked almost like fear in them. "Am I..?"


	9. Chapter 9 : Breakfast?

Told you I'd get this one up sooner! ^^ I proabably would have gotten it up even sooner if certain characters -glares at Roxas, Demyx and Zexion- would have just done what they were told! Anywhoo, Enjoy and don't forget to leave a comment or review. They make me feel all warm and gushy inside and inspire me to write more!

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><p>Roxas was at a loss for words. He had never <em>ever<em> seen Zexion afraid of anything, other then the rain. But here Zexion was, terrified at the prospect of having feelings for someone.

Roxas wrapped his best friend in a tight hug, his need to comfort his friend overwhelming the fact that Zexion only had boxers on. "Yeah, I think you are. But that's no reason to be scared."

"I'm not scared." Zexion said, obviously recovering. He gave Roxas a small smile and pushed him away. Damn… He really must be scared… Zexion's hand was shaking slightly. "I… I've never been in a relationship. They're a nuisance. They leave you hurt and upset."

Roxas stared at his friend, a sad look in his winter blue eyes. "You're not just talking about Hayner, are you?"

Zexion stared silently at the floor. Roxas let out a small sigh and wrapped his arms around his best friend. "Like you said, Hayner is not what all the fish out there are like. And your parents…" Roxas felt Zexion stiffen. "They were stupid for not keeping you."

"You make it sound like I were a dog they found…" Zexion mumbled.

Roxas laughed then put his hands on both of Zexion's shoulders and looked at him, very sternly. "Now, you listen to me. From what I can see, Demyx is a good guy, who cares a helluv a lot for you. He'd never hurt you. And if he did he'd have me to answer to. So take a chance. Let someone in besides me for a change." Zexion nodded and Roxas patted the top off his head with a smile.

"I smell eggs…" Demyx had finally wandered into the kitchen, as disheveled as he was when he first woke up.

"I'm making them over here." Zexion said. "A-Are you going to join us, Roxas?"

Roxas, who had been openly staring at the half-naked musician, was jerked back to reality. "Nah, I don't think so. Just dropping off your car. I'll see ya later." Roxas winked at Zexion, who blushed slightly, grabbed his coat and left.

Demyx's gazed switched between the door Roxas had just exited out off and Zexion. "Did I miss something?" He asked.

"No, don't worry about it." Zexion said, with a slight shake of his head. He reached up and grabbed to plates and switched the burner off. Demyx shuffled over to the couch and flopped down, still to tired to be much use. The slate-haired high schooler looked from the yellow eggs in the skillet over towards Demyx, who had flipped over onto his back, hands behind his head, bare chest rising and lowering with his steady breath.

Zexion set the spatula down and walked over towards him. Kneeling down next to the musician, his wonderfully attuned sense of smell could pick up the smell of Demyx's Irish Spring shampoo and the smell rain upon the musician.

Demyx's deep blue eyes opened up slowly. "Mmm? Something wrong…?"

Zexion became hyperaware of just how close they were. "Just… Just don't move." He bent closer towards the musician, trying to ignore the confused look they were giving him, and brushed his lips against Demyx's.

He could feel Demyx jerk slightly in surprise underneath. Then, slowly, the musician's calloused, long fingered hands came out from behind his head and wrapped around Zexion pulling him closer and deepening the kiss.

Zexion jerked away and Demyx immediately let go with a "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I didn't mean…"

Zexion shook his head. "No, it's fine it was… nice." He said the faint blush making a reappearance on his cheeks. "It's just… I'm no good at the… Mushy, feely, relationship stuff. It's always been Roxas who got himself into that. I just gave advice."

Demyx smiled warmly. "I can help you figure it out. Please, Zexion. I'll stop whenever you feel uncomfortable, I swear. But I don't think-" Demyx was cut off by the feel of Zexion's lips against his own. "That was a really nice way of telling me to shut up." He said, practically beaming up at Zexion as they parted once more.

"You talk to much." Zexion said with a small smile of his own.

Demyx's smile softened again into one with such a tenderness that Zexion had thought only possible in teen romance novels. He placed a slender hand on Zexion's cheek. "Would you give me the immense pleasure of allowing me to hold your hand, kiss you, and in all meanings of the word, love you?"

"You're a romantic at heart aren't you…?" Zexion said, with a small chuckle. He leaned in closer.

"There'll be no getting rid of me after this." Demyx said, all serious.

"Just shut up and kiss me."

And the blonde musician was more then willing to do so.


	10. Chapter 10 : Morning Cartoons

I am sooo sorry this chapter has taken me so long and is so short! I have an explanation! Honest, I do! But I'll let you guys read for now. As always enjoy!

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><p>Zexion and Demyx had just finished eating their small breakfast of eggs and were lying on the couch (Zexion suspected that it was now one of Demyx's favorite spots) watching Saturday morning cartoons. Zexion had slipped on a hoodie and running shorts before hand, refusing to get any where near Demyx clad only in his boxers. Zexion sighed contently with Demyx's long arms wrapped around him. He should have guessed Demyx was a cuddler.<p>

"Something wrong?" Demyx asked, looking up at his boyfriend, his eyes going a bit large, probably wondering if he had done something wrong.

"No. I'm quite comfortable. Why are you always doing that?" Zexion asked, turning a little so he could better see the musician.

"Mmm? Doing what?" Demyx asked, brushing a stray hair out of Zexion's face. "You're hair's so soft…" He murmured, a small smile on his face.

Zexion rolled his eyes. "Looking as though you've done something wrong. You've been doing it ever since we k-kissed." The word felt odd in his mouth, like something he couldn't decide weather or not he liked the flavor to.

"You're the one that's new at this, not me. I just… Don't want you to feel…" Demyx trailed off, trying to find the right word. "Pressure, I guess. I don't want to screw things up cause I'm moving to fast or something. I dunno." He shrugged. "I'm almost as new to this as you are. Axel was my only other _real_ relationship, and he always took the lead."

"You don't have to worry about rushing things. _I'll_ let you know if you're going to far." Zexion said, snuggling into Demyx's chest. "Just be yourself and go with it. I'm not going to hate you if you screw up once or twice." He looked up at his silly musician, a grin on his face. "I like you far to much too."

Zexion felt Demyx's chest rise and fall as he sighed with relief. "Well that's good to know."

They returned to watching cartoons. Oddly enough, it was Zexion who broke the silence between them this time. "Why are we watching cartoons again? I thought you would have outgrown Saturday morning cartoons."

"I don't have a TV in my dorm so I don't get to watch them anymore. I'd watch them at the gym, but I never go in the mornings." Demyx said. "Besides, you're never to old for Saturday morning cartoons. I miss getting up really early in the mornings to watch Pokemon and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

"I actually have quite a few seasons of the original Pokemon show, if you're interested. I've never really sat down and watched them but- wait! You work out?" Zexion sat up and stared at the mulleted blonde in disbelief.

Demyx laughed. "Yeah. I'm not exactly the most menacing guy around, so it's nice to know I could hold my own, if it ever came down to it. I also do caporia and jiu-jitsu. But honestly I'd rather just run, or avoid the fight altogether. "

Zexion shook his head with a small chuckle. "You're an odd one." He commented.

"I know. But you love me anyways." Demyx smiled and pulled Zexion back down, then planted a tender kiss on the top of his head.

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><p>So, my explanation. Basically, I have hit a giant writer's block and have no idea where to go from here. I've rewritten this chapter quite a few times, but it never comes out right. This is the only version I even relatively liked so I thought I'd at least give this to you guys. Anyway, I need help. Please leave some suggestions when you guys review, I could really use them! Once again I apologize sooo much. Those of you that have stuck through with me on this deserve a medal...<p> 


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